Sheet handling apparatus



April 20, 1965 Fil ed Feb. 26. 1962 R. H. HARRINGTON SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR RICHARD H. HARRINGTON A 7' TORNE' April 20, 1965 R. H. HARRINGTON 3,179,406

SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ea 61 e2 ,4? 51 48 O 44 g O\"/ O\ O 49 O 5 45 ii e5 54 United States Patent Ofiice ,g 31522? 3,179,406 SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS Richard H. Harrington, Vestal, N.Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,468 13 Claims. (Cl. 271-76) This invention relates to sheet handling apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus which is capable of driving and reorienting sheets of random varying sizes and thicknesses.

It is customary to feed sheets, such as bank checks, longitudinally short-edge first or serially past a read station at which bits of magnetic ink information are read to activate means for diverting the check into an appropriate one of a plurality of stacker pockets. (The checks are fed short-edge first because the magnetic ink indicia is in a line or lines running parallel to the long edge of the check. However, to conserve space, it is desirable that the checks be stacked with their short edges forward. Toward this end, it has been the practice in previously proposed machines to divert checks from the main transport path into selectable ones of a plurality of corkscrew-like chutes, each leading to a respective stacker pocket, such that the same short edge of the check is foremost throughout movement of the check through the machine. In other words, as checks advance longitudinally along a main transport path, they are diverted in a generally transverse direction into a selected pocket. As a result, the "longitudinal dimensions of these machines tend to be very long.

One object of this invention is therefore to provide an improved sheet handling apparatus which is more compact and less expensive than those heretofore proposed.

Another object is to provide an improved sheet han dling apparatus in which sheets initially move in one direction and are twice diverted so they will be dropped into a selected stacker pocket while moving in the opposite direction and with a different edge foremost than had L been foremost during movement in said one direction.

A further object is to provide an improved sheet handling apparatus wherein, as sheets are advancing along a predetermined path with one part foremost, they will be diverted obliquely from said path and, without stoppage or interruption, be reoriented so that a different part of the sheet is foremost.

Still another object is to provide an improved sheet handling apparatus which provides continuous control of the movement of sheets despite substantial random variations in their sizes and thicknesses.

According to the invention, the improved sheet handling apparatus comprises means for advancing sheets one edge foremost along one path, and means for driving sheets at an oblique angle from said path into another path and concurrently reorienting the sheets so that another edge is foremost. The driving means comprises endless means providing bites at points spaced transversely across said one path so as to be substantially simultaneously engaged by said one edge While a sheet is still moving in the direction of said one path. The driving means, as illustrated, conveys the sheets in a U-shaped course thus turning each sheet upside down and at the same time turning it through an angle substantially double said oblique angle. Stacker pockets are disposed along a third path which diverges at an obtuse angle from the exit end of said other path. The speeds at which the sheets move along said other path and third path are so related to the exit speed of the sheets from said one path as to prevent overlapping of sheets at any point. For example, if sheets are diverted at an oblique angle of 45 from said one path while traveling at a certain speed, they will be driven at 1.414 times said certain speed while in said other path; and if said third path diverges at an angle of. from said other path, the sheets will be driven along said third path at a speed .707 times the speed the sheets had upon leaving said other path. As a result, the speeds of the sheets while moving in said one path and third path will be substantially identical.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a sheet hand-ling apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, to enlarged scale, taken in the direction of arrow 2 in PEG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, to enlarged scale, taken in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section, to enlarged scale, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view, to reduced scale, of the apparatus embodying the invention.

Description As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, sheets, suchas bank checks 10, are advanced from a hopper (not shown) over a stationary bed plate 11 by a plurality of suitably driven radial-1y slotted discs 12. These discs are of the type disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of D. W. Brearley, U.S. Serial No. 172,463, filed February 12, 1962, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

Briefly, these discs 12 are spaced along, and at a slight oblique angle to, a registration edge 13 that is provided by the upturned rear edge of bed plate 11. The discs 12 drive each successive check at said oblique angle until it strikes edge 13. Thereafter, as each successive sector of a particular slotted disc 1-2 is rotated into contact with a check, such sector will yield laterally and thereby limit the aligning component of force on the check substantially to that necessary to efiect lateral deflection of a single sector. In this manner, the discs 12 serve to drive the sheets forward and at the same time align them laterally against the registration edge.

After each sheet is laterally aligned against edge 13, and while it is moving forward at a preselected speed, it will pass a work station which, in the embodiment illustrated, is a read station R. At this station, means (not shown) is provided to read from each check 10 magnetic ink indicia that is contained in a line or lines parallel to the long edge of the check and hence parallel to the registration edge 13.

Meanwhile, after the leading edge of each check passes station R, it will enter between a suitably driven roll 14 and a suitably driven belt 15; and thereafter said edge will pass under a plate 16 that is downpath of said roll and overlies the belt.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the plate 16 has a plurality of holes arranged in two longitudinally extendng rows. Extending upwardly through each such hole is an annular member 17 having a flange 18 that rests against the under side of the plate. The space between flange 18 and belt 15 always exceeds the thickness of any check. A ball 19, which is disposed within each annular member, extends below the corresponding flange and rests on the check 10. It is heavy enough to hold the check in effective contact with belt 15 so that the check will be driven by the belt with a minimum of frictional drag. A plastic retainer ring 20 preferably is inserted in the lower or flanged end of each member 17 to prevent the associated ball 19 from dropping through the annular opening when plate 16 is raised or removed. One retain- 3 ing bar 21 preferably extends through all members of each particular row at a point above the respective balls 19 to prevent them from being ejected upward out of the members.

As each check lltl exits from under plate to, its leading edge simultaneously enters the transversely spaced bites of two sets of endless members. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, one set of these endless members consists of two rolls 22, 23; and the other set consists of a roll and a large roll or drum 25. The axesof rolls 22, 23 and of roll 24 and drum 25 are all disposed at the same angle to the registration edge 13; i.e., imaginary spots on the peripheries of these rotating members 22 through 25 would generate planes which are parallel to each other and disposed at the same oblique angle to the path followed by the sheet when moving along parallel to edge 13 and into the bites of these endless members.

Roll 22 is an idler roll which is pivotally carried by a rockable lever 26. A spring 27 resiliently biases roll 22 into contact with roll 23. Roll 23 is mounted on a stud 23 that is screwed into a fixed member 29. Roll 23 is driven by a belt t) through a pulley 31 (FIG. 1) that is laterally welded or otherwise secured to said roll. Roll 24 is pivotally carried by one arm of a bell crank 32 that is rockably supported on stud 28. A suitably anchored spring 33 pulls on the other'arm of bell crank 32 to bias roll 24 into contact with drum 25. Roll 2.4 is driven from a shaft 34 through a pulley 35 and a be t se.

Shaft 324, which is driven by suitable means (not shown),

also drives two pulleys 337 which are carried at opposite sides of fixed member 29.

Each pulley 3? drives a fiat belt 38 having a run which impinges upon a substantial portion of the periphery of drum and diverges from the drum into a path that extends beneath belt 15 and at an angle equal to the angle 0 toward a series of side-by-side arranged stacker pockets 39.

Each belt 38 passes around idler pulleys dll and a tensioning pulley 41. Each pulley it? is adjacent the first stacker pocket 39, and each pulley all is interposed between the associated driven pulley 3'7 and pulley 40. As illustrated, the roll or drum 25 is rotatably mounted on a stud 42 and is rotated by the belts 38; however, if preferred, a driven shaft may be substituted for the stud 42 for driving the drum and thereby driving the belts.

A plate 43 is spaced somewhat above those portions of the flat belts 38 that extend from drum 25 to the respective pulleys 40. Plate 4-3 has two rows of holes, each row being disposed above a respective one of the belt 33. A member 17 is inset into each hole to retain a corresponding steel ball 19. Thus, as in the case of the ball 19 carried by plate 16 the balls 19 in plate 43 will hold a check in etlective contact with a respective one of the belts 38. i

As bestshown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, as a check lltl leaves belts 3%, it simultaneously enters the transversely spaced bites of two sets of endless members. Each of these sets comprises a belt 44 and a spring-biased idler roll 45 that are disposed directly above the nearest side Wall 46 of the first stacker pocket. The belts 44 are transversely spaced and flat; and they move in planes that are parallel to each other and to the registration edge 13. Assuming that the check is not to be stacked in the first pocket 39, it will be advanced by the belts 44 successively past rolls 45 and then past rolls 4-7, 48, 49 and 50 (FIG. 3). The rolls 47, d8 are driven by the belts 44 to frictionally drive an intervening speed-reducing pulley 51. Pivotally supported on the supporting stud for pulley 51 is an arm 52 that carries a grooved wheel 53; and a belt 54. is driven by said pulley and runs around said wheel to urge the leading edges of all checks into flush contact with the leading side wall as of the pocket 39. The checks are supported on a platform 55 which preferably it tilted, as shown in FIG. 3, and is resiliently biased upward by a spring 56.

. 4 The belts 44 are driven from a common driven shaft 57 through respective pulleys 5t and around respective tensioning pulleys 41a. The rolls 49 preferably are rotatably carried on a common fixed stud; and the rolls Stl are spring-biased toward the respective rolls 45-9 to keep the belts 44 in effective contact with rolls 4-? to assure proper driving of the checks. In all pockets 39 beyond the first pocket, rolls 49, 5t) willbe disposed'at the entry side of the pocket (as shown in FIG. 3) in place of the pulleys 55S and rolls l5; and within each pocket there are provided the elements 47, 48 and 51 to 56 just described.

A plurality of stacker magnets 60 is provided, one for each pocket 39, although only one is shown in FIG. 1. These magnets are selectively energized according to the information read at read station R to select the particular pocket 39 into which a check is to be diverted. More specifically, upon energization of a particular magnet 60, a deflector member 61 will be caused to rock clockwise about a fixed pin 62 to an upper limit position in which it is shown in FIG. 3 and which is defined by contact with a stop surface 63. When the deflector member till is in its upper or deflecting position, a check will be diverted from contact with the belts 44 and will be advanced along the inclined lower side of deflector member el and toward the stack in that particular pocket.

As the check moves toward the stack in guided contact with a stationary guide as, it will strike and deflect a kicker spring 65 to store energy therein. As the leading edge of the check enters between belt 54 and the top of the stack on platform 55, the check will no longer exert sufficient force on the spring 65 to maintain same defiecte ccordingly, spring 65 will kick the trailing edge of the check down out of the path of a succeeding check.

Meanwhile, after the check contacts belt 54-, the belt will drive the check forward relative to vthe platform 55 and stack until the leading edge of the check is flush against the side wall l! of that particular pocket. As the height and weight of the stack increase, the platform 55 will drop a corresponding degree by compressing spring 56; and in this way, the height of the stack will be maintained reasonably uniform.

Summary of operation between the bite of roll 24 and drum 25. S iniultaneous gripping of the check at these two transversely spaced points prevents the check from skewing unpredictably and thus destroying its alignment.

Rolls 22, 23 rotate in one plane, and roll 24 and drum 25 rotate in another plane; and both of these planes are parallel to each other and disposed at the preselected angle firelative to registration edge 13. Hence, after the check is gripped or pinched between the respective bites of these rotating elements 22 to 25, it will be diverted at said angle 0 from its former path and driven around drum 25 in a generally Ll-shaped path by the belts 38.

If the check is driven 180 around the drum, the short edge (or other leading part of the check at the instant the check enters the bites of rolls 22, 23 and 24, 25) will be turned through a reorientation angle equal to twice the angle 6, irrespective of the value of angle 0. The

' reorientation angle will be less than or exceed twice the angle 0 according to whether the check is driven less than or more than around the drum 25.

In the embodiment illustrated, the angle 0 is 45 and the check is driven 180 around the drum 25. Hence, by the time the check leaves drum 25, it will be turned over; and its long edge (rather than the short edge) will now be foremost. Thus, as the check passes half way around the drum, it will traverse its former path parallel to edge 13 and then head along a straight course in a direction defined by the complement of the angle 0. That is, the check will now be moving horizontally but angularly toward the side-by-side arranged stacker pockets 39 at the front of the apparatus.

As the checkpasses under guide 43 and approaches the exit ends of the belts 38, its now leading edge (its long edge) will simultaneously enter the bites of belts 44 and their respective rolls 45 at two transversely spaced points to prevent skewing of the check. The belts 44 will then advance the check over the rolls 47, 48 and 50 of successive pockets 39 so long as the selected magnets 60 for these pockets are de-energized. However, if the information read at the read station R indicates that the check should be delivered to a particular pocket, then the magnet 69 associated with that pocket will be energized just prior to the arrival of the check at such pocket. Energization of such magnet will cause the corresponding deflector member 61 to be raised to divert the check from belts 44 for stacking in such pocket in the manner already described. a

It is to be noted that the peripheral speed of the various endless members are so controlled and related as to prevent undesirable overlapping or shingling of the checks. F or example, assume that the check is moving at a velocity V parallel to the registration edge 13 at the time it enters between the'bites of rolls 22, 23 and 24, 25. Then each belt 38 should be driven at a lineal speed V that is at least equal to V divided by the cosine of the angle 0; and each belt 44 should be driven at a lineal speed V that is at least equal to the product of speed V and the cosine of angle 0. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated, where angle 0 is 45, V would be at least 1.414 times V and V would be at least .707 times V If V were exactly equal to 1.414 times V and V were exactly equal to .707 times V then V would, of course, be equal to V It will now be seen that a very compact sheet handling apparatus has been provided. A sheet, such as a check, initially moves longitudinally right to left, as shown in FIG. 1, until it reaches the turning or reorienting station at drum 25. Then, after leaving the drum, it moves angularly forward at a different elevational level for a short distance until it reaches the belts 44. Then, it moves longitudinally left to right. This enables a substantial reduction in the longitudinal dimensions of sheet handling apparatus such as sorters for bank checks.

While the invention has been illustrated as applied to a sorter for bank checks, it will be understood that the invention may be employed in apparatus for handling sheets of other types. In fact, the invention has been employed successfully in reorienting and stacking sheets and cards of random varying dimensions and areas ranging from values substantially smaller than those of conventional bank checks to areas substantially larger than those of conventional bank checks.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets one part foremost along a path,

means for simultaneously gripping each sheet at points spaced at substantially right angles to and across said path, and

means for driving the gripped sheet at an angle away from said path and at the same time turning such sheet at least partially over for changing both the direction and orientation of the sheets such that said one part is no longer foremost.

2. Sheet handling apparatus comprising ,means for advancing sheets one edge first along a path,

means for gripping said one edge of each sheet substantially simultaneously at different points which are spaced and lie in a line substantially parallel to said one edge to prevent skewing of the sheet, and

driving means operative after each sheet is gripped for driving the gripping means and each sheet in a curved path diverging obliquely from the first-mentioned path and turning such sheet at least partially over to reorient the sheets such that said one edge is no longer first.

3. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets one part foremost along one path,

endless means cooperating to provide a plurality of bites extending substantially at right angles to and across said path such that all bites will be entered substantially simultaneously by said one part of a sheet as it moves along said one path,

means for driving at least one of the endless means in a curved path oblique to and diverging from said one path, and

guide means cooperating with said one endless means to turn each sheet at least partially over after it enters such bite, thereby to reorient each sheet so that another part thereof is foremost.

4. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets one edge foremost along a path, and

means for driving sheets at an oblique angle of substantially 45 from said path and reorienting the sheets until another edge is foremost,

such driving means comprising endless means providing bites at points spaced transversely across said path so as to be substantially simultaneously engaged by said one edge while a sheet is still moving in the direction of said path,

said endless means including members which move such that imaginary spots on their driving surfaces will move in planes which are at said oblique angle to said path, and

said driving means driving the members at a peripheral speed at least equal to 1.414 times the lineal speed along said path to prevent overlapping of the sheets.

5. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets one part foremost along one path, and

means providing spaced bites which lie athwart said one path and into which said one part is advanced to cause said one part of each sheet to be simultaneously gripped at spaced points and then driven away fromsaid one path at an oblique angle and around a curved path to reorient the sheets so that another part is foremost,

the lineal speed of the last introduced means being at least equal to a value corresponding to the speed of the sheets along said one path divided by the cosine of said oblique angle, to prevent overlapping of sheets after leaving said one path.

6. In a sheet handling apparatus, the combination of means for advancing sheets one edge foremost along one path,

means for driving sheets in a generally U-shaped path the entry portion of which diverges obliquely at a preselected angle from said one path, and the exit portion of which is spaced substantially around from and traverses the line of said one path at substantially said angle thereto,

said driving means including means disposed at at least two points spaced at right angles to said one path for gripping each sheet as it leaves said one path and is diverted into said U-shaped path,

thereby to reorient each sheet such that its one edge upon leaving the latter path will be turned through substantially twice said angle from its original direction of advancement by said advancing means.

3,1 vases 7. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets one part foremost along one path,

means for providing bites for gripping sheets substantially simultaneously at points spaced transversely across said path and driving sheets away from said one path at an oblique angle and in a generally U-shaped path diverging from said one path to turn each sheet upside down and reorient it so that said one part will be turned through substantially twice said angle from the direction it had justprior to reaching said driving means,

means for moving sheets in a third path diverging at an angle from the exit end of said U-shaped path and lying in a different plane from said one path,

means defining stacker pockets disposed along said third path, and

means selectably operable for diverting sheets from said third path into a selectable one of the pockets.

8. Sheet handling apparatus comprising means for advancing sheets successively one edge first along one path, and

two sets of endless members having peripheries movable in planes at an angle oblique to said one path and providing bites spaced transversely across said path so as to be entered substantially simultaneously by each sheet upon reaching the end of said path,

at least one of the endless members being a drum, and

at least one member of each set being driven so as to drive the sheets obliquely substantially at said angle from said path and into another path including a portion extending part way around the drum to reorient each sheet so that its one edge will no longer be first as the sheet leaves the drum.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein Y the endless members of one set are rolls disposed in oifsetrelation from theend of the drum, and

the endless members of the other :set comprise the drum and a roll which mates with the drum. 10. Apparatus according to claim 8,-wherein the portion of said other path extends substantially 180 around the drum such that each sheet upon leaving the drum will have been turned through an angle which is substantially twice thelrnagnitude of said oblique angle from its direction at the instant it enters said bites.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, including a different path diverging at an obtuse angle from the exit end of said other path and extending in a direction generally parallel to said one path, and

endless means for advancing sheets along said diiferent path and providing bites which are spaced transversely of said different path so as to be entered sub stantially simultaneously as each sheet reaches the exit end of said other path.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each sheet is driven around said drum and along said other path at an increased speed to prevent shingling of sheets, and

wherein each sheet is thereafter decelerated by being driven at a reduced speed while in said ditferent path.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each sheet is driven around said drum and along said other path at a speed higher than the particular speed at which it entered said other path and at least equal to said particular speed divided by the cosine of said oblique angle, and

wherein each sheet after entering the bites of said endless means is driven along said different path at a reduced speed which is at least equal to the product of said higher speed and the cosine of the supplement of said obtuse angle.

Reterences Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, rim/1 Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. raronay, RAPHAEL M. LUPO,

Examiners. 

1. SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FOR ADVANCING SHEETS ONE PART FOREMOST ALONG A PATH, MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY GRIPPING EACH SHEET AT POINTS SPACED AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO AND ACROSS SAID PATH, AND 